Making comparisons and connections between Religions in Year 5

This week in Year 5, our RE lesson took us back thousands of years to explore the roots of two major world religions: Judaism and Catholicism. We discovered how one man, Abraham, stands at the very beginning of both faith stories as their spiritual father.

To kick things off and understand what Abraham might have felt, we turned the classroom into a trust zone. We paired up for a special guiding game: one partner closed their eyes tightly, while the other had to lead them safely around the room using nothing but clear, spoken instructions.

There were plenty of giggles, but it taught us a massive lesson about trust. It helped us mimic the famous story of Lech Lecha (which means "Go forth" or "Leave your land"). In the Bible and the Tanakh, God tells Abraham to leave everything he knows—his home, his family, and his country—and travel to a mysterious new land. Abraham had total, unwavering trust in God's guidance, just like our blindfolded partners trusted their guides.

We learned that:

• For Jewish people, Abraham is Avraham Avinu (Abraham our Father), the very first person to realise there is only one God, making him the founder of Judaism.

• For Catholics, Abraham is known as our "Father in Faith." Because Jesus was Jewish, the stories and promises God made to Abraham are a core part of Catholic history and the Old Testament.
  
  What we discovered: Even though Judaism and Catholicism are distinct religions today, they share the exact same root. They both look up to Abraham as the ultimate model of faith and obedience.

We couldn't finish a lesson about the father of two faiths without getting up and moving again. To burn off some energy and cement our learning, we tackled the famous Father Abraham action song.